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Led by Sam Bourgault and Emma Forgues
During this workshop, we will introduce the concepts of soft robotics and learn to cast silicone pieces to create a collaborative art piece! Every participant will build a small soft robot that we will then put together to create a larger soft robotics “quilt”!
Soft Robotics is a subfield of robotics whereby robots are constructed from soft, flexible materials to mimic the soft fleshiness of living organisms and are ‘programmed’ to mimic the motions of living creatures.
Digging in various fields that range from art history to engineering, the not-so-simple concept of softness has generated an impressive amount of literature and experimentations. Softness as a technical principle has been used by architects, sculptors, scientists, engineers, and roboticists in order to explore new aesthetic and behavioral models.
Following an introduction to soft robotics concepts and methods, we will discuss conceptual approaches to softness in art and architecture, followed by a quick overview of our project “Pero sans Cimon”.
We will then workshop together to create several small pieces by reconfiguring moulds, casting components in silicone and then test-running our creations using a common compressed air system.
*This workshop has no pre-requisite skill set and is open to all Milieux Research clusters.
** Email: marc.beaulieu@concordia.ca to register for this workshop, including ‘Soft Robotics’ in the subject line.